History and Purpose of the Non-DoD Schools Program

The Non-DoD Schools Program has been operating for 5 years and is growing steadily. During the 2009–10 school year, the Non-DoD Schools Program had almost 3,400 students enrolled in 150 countries and in 531 schools worldwide. DoDEA’s budget for the Non-DoD Schools Program worldwide is in excess of $50 million.

The Non-DoD Schools Program supports a variety of schooling options for children ranging from homeschool programs to public or private schools. The process for selection begins with a determination of whether a quality school exists within commuting distance of a family’s location. If there is an adequate school in the area within daily commuting distance of the employee’s post of assignment, that school is referred to as a “school at post.” If an adequate school is so far beyond daily commuting distance of the employee’s post as to necessitate room and board, it is referred to as a “school away from post.”